Authors notes: Ok this chapter was pretty difficult for me to write, and really it was done a while ago, but I was debating on several things. I will say one thing we see a return of one evil Lucius Malfoy…

Chelsea always: yes I feel bad for Scorpius also, and unfortunately it will not get any eaier from here.

Everything Art: glad you liked the last two chapters. Yikes typos! I will try to fix them. Thanks, for pointing them out.

Chapter 12

"Leave me alone….mudblood."

Samantha stared after Scorpius. Feeling as if she had been slapped. Shock ebbed through her veins at his vehement tone mingled with the ice-cold look in his grey eyes. It was fairly obviously something had happened.

"Finally turned on you, did he?" Bindu asked quietly from behind her as students rushed past them on the way to their respective classes/ the girl placed her hands comfortingly on Samantha's shoulder.

Seems you were right." Samantha replied sharply, fully aware of the bitterness in her tone. Tears were threatening to spill down her face, but Samantha held them back. She awaited for the inevitable 'I told you so' yet it never came.

"I'm sorry, Samantha." Was all Bindu said, surprising her. It seemed Bindu was a true friend after all

Samantha hefted her school bag over her shoulder and followed her friend to History of Magic. While she listened to Professor Binns done on about Uric the Oddball, her thoughts kept turning to the pale to the blonde sitting three chairs in front of her. She had tried to meet his gaze when walking into the classroom, hoping to see what it was that was causing this sudden turn of events. Scorpius had kept his eyes fixed on the desk in front of his, however, avoiding her gaze entirely.

Samantha felt a bit of hope when she realized they had detention together tonight. Perhaps she could waive him into talking then. Her mind temporarily at peace. Samantha turned her attention to Professor Binns.

Samantha's hope deflated as soon as she walked into Filch's office that night.

I'm splitting you two up tonight." Filch announced upon her entrance. "I shan't have any more of that….that infantile behavior!" Samantha could have sworn smoke was coming out of the caretaker's wrinkled ears.

"What are we doing?" Scorpius inquired, his voice dull and flat.

"You, Mr. Malfoy, will be cleaning the trophy room." Filch responded in his wheezy tone. "Miss. Dursley here will be back in the kitchen." Samantha swallowed a groan at the thought of doing all those dishes by herself, thought she supposed she deserved it.

Filch escorted Samantha down to the kitchen, leaving behind Mrs. Norris to an eye on her while he left to take Scorpius upstairs to the trophy room. Sighing heavily, Samantha rolled up her sleeves and set to work on the mound of dishes in the sinks.

Samantha felt a flash of anger as she scrubbed away at the food stuck to a particularly dirty pan. Bindu was right, Scorpius was a git. She knew it wasn't his fault that they had been split up, but he could of at least acted as if he was a little bit sad. He hadn't even bothered to glance at her the entirety of the evening. Something was defiantly wrong, and it must of happened when the Headmistress pulled Scorpius to the side. She was determined to find out what exactly was going on.

It still perplexed Samantha why on earth she was so desperately to be friends with the silver-haired boy. He was fascinating young wizard sure, but they had next to nothing in common. He was a pureblood of wizarding nobility. She was just a muggle born or like Scorpius told her a Mudblood she thought bitterly.

*page break*

Scorpius ignored the pain in his chest as he tried his best to ignore the disappointment on Samantha's face when filch announced they were working separately. Inwardly, he was relieved, knowing he wouldn't have to ignore her directly over the next few hours. Scorpius feigned a look of bored look, as if it didn't matter to him in the slightest.

After he and Filch dropped Samantha off in the kitchen, Scorpius followed the caretaker to the trophy room on the sixth floor. The endless array of trophies gleamed their silver light at Scorpius when he entered, and Scorpius immediately felt daunted at the size of them. Shelves upon shelves of trophies littered the room, a myriad of cabinets lining the wall.

"Here's your polish." Filch supplied, reaching into his bag to pull out a large can of silver polish. "Rags are in that cabinet over there. Get to work, and no magic." He said, emphasizing the last bit. Scorpius shuddered at the threatening tone. Then grabbed the materials and set to work.

It was very hard work for Scorpius, considering he'd never really lifted a finger to with the cleaning at the Malfoy Manor. The house elves had always done that for him. Resigning himself tot the labor, Scorpius let his thoughts drift back to the happenings of earlier that day.

His father had came. He was even proud of him. Scorpius smiled slightly at that, reveling in his newfound knowledge that his father really wasn't the man everyone thought he was. A frown replaced the smile when he though of the mark his grandfather had left on Draco's face his father was in danger.

His mind shifted to Samantha, the grimace painted on his face deepening. He felt terrible for treating her so horribly, but he had no choice. He couldn't put his father in harm's way just to be friends with a girl.

To be frank, Scorpius wasn't even sure what he saw in Samantha. They came from different backgrounds. Then again, he supposed that could be what drew him to her, the fact that they got on so well when they were so different. An empty smile crept up his face as he thought of her and as they goofed off around the kitchen, her wide grin as she retaliated with a scoop of water in the face and her bubbly laugh as she watched it soak his hair and robes.

Samantha was quite a girl, yet it appeared that Scorpius was doomed to be forever apart from her. The smile slopping from his face, Scorpius resignedly turned his attention back to the trophy he was supposed to be polishing.

After what felt like hours later, filch stood from his chair near the door and strode over to Scorpius.

"Finish the cabinet, then you may go." He said in his his raspy voice. The thin, gangly man stole a glance at his watch then contorted his face into a scowl. "I have to leave, I trust you'll finish." He raised an eyebrow expectantly at Scorpius, who nodded quickly. He tried not to shiver at the ice-cold eyes of the Hogwarts caretaker.

Filch spun on his heels and marched out of the room, the door closing with a dull thud after him. Scorpius felt the silence wash over him, shuddering at the lonely feeling settling in his chest.

When he was finished polishing the last cabinet, Scorpius returned the rags to the cupboard, then realized he needed to return Filch's polish to him. Sighing loudly, he opened the the door and headed back through the halls and corridors to Filch's office.

A deathly quiet had settled over the school in the midst of the night Scorpius saw that it was past eleven when he passed a nearby grandfather clock. The exhaustion from the sweeping over him like a tidal wave, Scorpius felt his eyelids drooping slightly as he meandered the halls.

As he rounded the corner right before Filch's office, voice floated through the air into his ears. Scorpius stopped not waiting to intrude on a private conversation, though who Filch would be talking to at this late hour was perplexing to say the least. Then an all too familiar voice came from Filch's office. Scorpius froze, terror streaking through his veins.

Lucius Malfoy was here. At Hogwarts. With no warning whatsoever. Scorpius felt the urge to run as fast as he could in the opposite direction, yet he somehow managed to resist the desire. Pressing his back against the stone wall, he inched closer to the room that held the two conversing men, trying to listen in on their conversation.

"….been watching the boy like a hawk, just like you told me, sir." Filch was saying, his voice tinged with a hint of pride. Scorpius shuddered, not having to wonder who he was talking about.

"Yes, so it would seem." Lucius replied, the distaste in his voice clear. Scorpius knew he was most likely mortified at having to speak with a Squib. "yet you claim that our arrangement has become a bit more fragile of late?"

"Yes, sir. I was getting to that." Filch replied hastily. " well obviously I cant keep an eye on the boy every waking moment, so I've convinced, shall we say, a few of the paintings to do the job for me when I cant be there." Scorpius didn't have to Lucius to know he was raising his eyebrows.

"And how, pray tell, do you convince these paintings, with the assurance that they wouldn't tell anyone else?"

"I have my ways sir." Filch responded in a malevolent tone. Scorpius shivered, and it wasn't from the cold hardness of the stone against his back."

"Very well." Lucius said in a resigned voice "Continue."

"One of the paintings in the hall witnessed a rather interesting exchange between the boy and his father." Scorpius tensed, waiting for Lucius to respond. His grandfather was dead silent for a moment.

"What did he tell Scorpius?" he eventually inquired.

"Told him you were watching him, he did." Filch answered. Lucius swore loudly.

"Stupid boy." He said after another moment of silence. "How in Merlin's name did he found out?" Lucius implored his voice quiet but deadly.

"Don't know, sir. Ddnt say." Filch replied.

"I paid you to make sure this wouldn't happen." Lucius hissed. Scorpius flinched at the tone of grandfather's voice.

"I know, sir. It wont happen a again, sir. I promise you that." Filch responded, his voice a bit shaky now.

"It's too late, he already knows." Lucius snarled, clearly enraged at the news. "Though I guess he's smart enough to realize he can't confront me over it. That pathetic excuse for a Malfoy couldn't stand a chance against me." Rage boiled inside Scorpius at Lucius harsh words concerning his father.

"Would you like me to keep watching the boy, sir?" Filch queried.

"Yes." Lucius answered as if it were obvious. "And let me know if the even more pathetic excuse of a Malfoy continues pursuing that mud-blood witch. The boy cannot be allowed to disgrace the Malfoy's name any more than he already has, is that understood?"

"Yes sir. Perfectly understood."

"Good. I'll send the next payment at the full moon. Don't disappoint me again."

"And for goodness sakes make. Sure those paintings don't go blabbing off to Mcgonagall." Lucius replied sharply.

Scorpius realized then that standing in the middle of the hall might not be the best place to be standing at that precise moment, considering Lucius was about to leave. Scurrying around the corner as quietly as he could, he ducked behind a tapestry, hoping the lack of light would be enough to cover him.

"I'll send my next report in a few days!" Filch assured Lucius as the tall man with a silver man of hair swept gracefully out of the room. At least that's what Scorpius assumed happened. He couldn't see anything behind the tapestry, but he knew his grandfather well enough to imagine what had occurred.

Scorpius held his breath anxiously while Filch and Lucius exchanged their farewells. The click of boots hitting stone echoed through the corridor as Lucius strode down the hallway, around the corner and past Scorpius.

Scorpius felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead as his grandfather passed him by without so much as even stopping. He held his sigh of relief until the footsteps had completely receded into the distance. Taking a moment to let his nerves in his trembling body calm. Scorpius then stepped behind the tapestry and made his way once again around the corner

Filch was sorting papers on his desk when Scorpius strode through the open door.

"I-I brought your silver polish back, sir." He said, swallowing as he tried to slow his erratic heartbeat.

"Leave it on my desk." Filch snarled, turning absent-mildly to shove a few folders into his file cabinet. Scorpius complied, gently setting down the jar on the wooden piece of furniture then turned to leave.

"I hope you've learned your lesson, Malfoy." Filch sneered as Scorpius made for the entrance. He thought it a bit odd that this same rude, old man had been cowering in fear only a moment prior. Still, Scorpius had more than enough excitement for one day.

"I have, sir." Scorpius replied in a small voice.

"Good." Filch replied, dismissing him with a wave of his hand.

Scorpius exited the room, then walked back to the Hufflepuff basement as fast as his weary legs would take him. The entire walk there, only one thing inhabited his thoughts.

Lucius Malfoy was watching him, and if he did anything that would tarnish the family name, he would pay for it. Dearly.